


Better Than Fireworks

by anodyneer



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Stargazing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 15:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9242702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anodyneer/pseuds/anodyneer
Summary: Derek takes Stiles out for a peaceful night of stargazing - with a surprise. Really, just fluff and stargazing and realizations and more fluff.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maiNuoire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maiNuoire/gifts).



> Written for [maiNuoire](http://archiveofourown.org/users/maiNuoire), who gave me the choice of a few prompts from [a list I posted](http://anodyneer.tumblr.com/post/155233178917/drabble-challenge) on Tumblr. I chose the "here, take my blanket" prompt. I swear, not all of my Sterek fics will feature stargazing/astronomy; when I saw this prompt, though, my nerdy brain immediately went in that direction.
> 
> Thanks so much, Rachael, for being the first person to actually send me a prompt on Tumblr! <3

“Wow,” Stiles breathed, “I never realized how peaceful it is out here at night.”

Derek hummed in agreement as he followed the bobbing beam of Stiles’ flashlight, but said nothing. It was one of his favorite things about the property, really. He’d fallen in love with the large mountain parcel from the first time he’d seen it, with its fixer-upper house set way back at the end of a long driveway, hidden from the rest of the world. In the time that he’d owned it, Derek had made extensive repairs and upgrades to both the house and yard, but he’d left the surrounding forest largely untouched. It reminded him of home, but without the feelings of loss and pain and failure that had always haunted him in Beacon Hills.

It had taken time, a _lot_ of time, and even some therapy, for Derek to truly move on enough to return to California. He hadn’t gone back to Beacon Hills, finding himself drawn instead to the forests hours north of his childhood home. It was close enough for his friends to visit, but far enough away that he never felt the pull to go back to the former Hale pack lands.

“Hey, Derek, you okay?” Stiles nudged him in the side with an elbow, bringing Derek out of his thoughts.

Years ago, when they’d first met, Derek might have shot back that it would be even more peaceful if Stiles stopped talking, but things had changed since then. _Derek_ had changed since then.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said instead, letting himself appreciate the genuine concern in both Stiles’ tone and his scent. Derek wasn’t the only one who’d changed. Stiles had been through so many things since the two of them had first met, and yet he’d somehow managed to come out stronger. He’d just graduated from college, and after spending part of the summer at home with his dad and friends/pack, he’d decided to take Derek up on his offer of a place to get away from everything (namely, Beacon Hills itself) for a while.

Stiles had been staying with Derek for a little over a month, and though there was something well beyond friendship happening between them - had been for years, really - they were taking things fairly slowly. 

“So, you still won’t tell me why we’re going to the overlook?” Stiles threaded the fingers of his free hand through Derek’s, squeezing gently.

“You’ll see.” Derek smiled in the dark, his own fingers tightening. He let his eyes glow briefly, the range of his own night vision giving him a better view than the flashlight. He could just barely make out the small clearing that Stiles had dubbed ‘the overlook.’ It extended outward before dropping off into the ravine that separated Derek’s property from the one on the other side, and the unobstructed view of the sky was stunning, day and night.

They walked in silence until they reached the clearing. Derek reluctantly let go of Stiles’ hand before slipping the pack from his back and pulling out the contents. He unrolled the camping pad and spread it out on the ground, then shook out a thin quilt and laid it on top, all while trying to keep from being blinded by Stiles’ flashlight.

“Dude, seriously?” Stiles sounded completely confused. “We’re just going to chill out here? What if we get attacked by a skunk, or a porcupine, or something?”

“We’ll be fine,” Derek replied as he handed Stiles a blanket. “Wolves are pretty high up on the food chain.” He pulled his own blanket out of the pack before sitting down on one side of the pad and motioning for Stiles to take the spot beside him.

“Okay, so what’d you do, pee around the whole property to mark your territory or something?” Stiles flopped down beside Derek and pressed into his side, tucking the flashlight between them so that they could see each other in the darkness.

“They can just tell. I’ve run the borders fully shifted enough times that they can smell my wolf.” He didn’t dare tell Stiles that he had, in fact, pissed at the edges of the clearing more times than he cared to count, both shifted and not - not to mark his territory, but simply because he had to go. He’d _never_ hear the end of it.

“Likely story,” Stiles muttered, but he dropped the subject in favor of continuing his interrogation. “So, are there fireworks in town or something?”

“No, no fireworks. I’m hoping for something even better.”

“Are we just going to sit here and look at the stars?”

“You could say that,” Derek murmured, hoping his plan for the night wouldn’t be a complete bust. His wolf was definitely in sync with the moon, but with the stars? Not so much. Still, it felt right, and something deep inside of Derek reminded him that, no matter what the night sky had in store for them, this was time that he and Stiles got to share, just the two of them.

Stiles seemed to be satisfied enough with Derek’s vague answer. He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and settled back in, plastering himself against Derek’s side. They sat in silence as minutes passed, and it was on the tip of Derek’s tongue to tell Stiles what he should be looking for, but then he felt Stiles shiver against him. Even in the middle of August, it could get a little chilly at night in the mountains, something Derek hadn’t really considered before they left the house. He ran warm enough that it rarely bothered him, but Stiles was a whole different being, in more ways than one.

“Here, take my blanket,” he said into the silence, shaking out his own folded blanket and draping it around Stiles’ shoulders. He let his arm linger along Stiles’ back, and Stiles leaned into him with a contented sigh. Taking that as a sign, Derek gave Stiles’ bicep a squeeze as he pulled the younger man in even closer. “Better?”

“Much.” Stiles huffed out a soft laugh. “You’re not very subtle, you know. Bringing me out to look at the stars, giving me your blanket so you have an excuse to put your arm around me. I’m on to you, Sweetwolf.”

Derek smirked at the nickname. “I didn’t think subtle was your thing.”

“I’m not complaining.” Stiles turned a little and wrapped an arm around Derek’s back. He went still for a moment, and Derek turned his head into Stiles’ hair, breathing in the scent of him as he waited him out. “I - I really like it here, you know. I mean, look at me. I’m sitting outside in the pitch dark in the middle of the woods just outside of Nowheresville, and normally, I’d be really creeped out, right? You know, after everything...” He trailed off, inhaling deeply through his nose. “But I feel safe here. With you. Like, not just _here_ here, but your place in general.”

The words overwhelmed Derek, not only because there was no lie in them, but because Stiles had just put into words what Derek himself had been feeling since moving to the property, and especially since Stiles had arrived. He felt calm, safe in a way he hadn’t for years, and he was finally able to let his guard down. The nightmares that had plagued him for years had been reduced to the occasional bad dream, and when he awakened from one, he no longer had to resort to counting his fingers - a trick he’d learned from Stiles so long ago. He was able to ground himself in the call of the mockingbird outside his window, or the sound of the breeze through the treetops, or more recently, the steady beat of Stiles’ heart. The younger man had recently taken to slipping into Derek’s bed late at night, which helped both of them immensely, though Derek still had a hard time admitting to himself that he might enjoy the cuddling even more than Stiles did.

“Oooo-kay,” Stiles said, his pulse ticking up just a bit. “And I made thing awkward. Way to go, Stiles.”

“No,” Derek blurted, knowing that feeling all too well. “You didn’t. I just - I was thinking the same thing. That I feel safe here.” He took a deep breath and forced out the rest of the thought. “Especially since you got here.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Derek pulled back just far enough to look into Stiles’ eyes in the dim light. “I found this place, and it helped me...find myself, I guess.” It sounded corny, and Derek cringed inside, but Stiles just looked at him with a deep understanding. He swallowed, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “Then you showed up, and everything felt right for once in my life.” Stiles gaped at him, and Derek felt himself blush. “Now who’s making things awkward.”

Stiles shook his head. “I wouldn’t say that, exactly.” Before Derek could put together what Stiles meant, the younger man’s lips were on his. It was a soft kiss, not unlike others they’d shared in recent days, but something about it felt even more perfect. When they finally parted, Stiles nuzzled into Derek’s neck, and it warmed something deep inside of Derek. “So, did you really bring me out here to woo me? Because it’s working.”

Derek breathed a laugh into Stiles’ hair, then gazed back up at the sky. Sure enough, within a minute, he saw a flash of light streak across the heavens. “That’s only part of the reason,” he finally answered. “Look up.”

“Huh?” Stiles stirred and pushed himself up far enough to tilt his head back, looking up at the starry sky above them. “Okay, what am I - whoa!” He jumped, his arm going tight around Derek. “Holy shit, did you _see_ that?” 

“I did.” Derek leaned in to press a kiss to Stiles’ temple before turning his attention back to the sky. Stiles was now watching intently, sitting as still as Derek had ever seen him, and he was rewarded for his effort a few minutes later.

“There’s another one. Are you freaking _kidding_ me?” He turned wide eyes on Derek, who couldn’t help grinning at him.

“Perseid meteor shower,” he said simply. “I figured this would be a good vantage point.”

Stiles gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, this is the best.” He leaned back into Derek’s side, a little shiver running through him. The blankets had pooled around Stiles’ waist during their impromptu makeout session, and Derek reached down to pull them back up, wrapping them around their shoulders with Stiles’ help. Stiles curled into Derek’s warmth, and Derek held him as they sat and watched the sky, making soft noises of awe every time they saw another meteor.

As Stiles snuggled into him, it hit Derek that, in that moment, there was nowhere he’d rather be, and no one with whom he’d rather be sharing his time.

He was in love with Stiles.

He’d probably known for a long time, but the realization didn’t affect him the same way it would have years ago. Instead of being caught off guard by it or scared of what might happen to Stiles, the understanding that he was in love with the younger man simply settled Derek even more.

A small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, Derek tucked his face into Stiles’ neck and inhaled deeply. Stiles hummed and tilted his head to give Derek better access. Derek’s lips traced a path up to a spot on Stiles’ jaw, just in front of his ear.

“So,” he whispered, “better than fireworks?”

Stiles laughed softly, his fingers tickling Derek’s side through his shirt. “Well, I love fireworks, but...not gonna lie, this is totally better than fireworks.”

And as they sat there, cuddling under blankets as the occasional meteor flared across the sky above them, both of them at peace, Derek could only agree.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk Sterek with me on [tumblr](http://anodyneer.tumblr.com/)! <3


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